Lately Milo will not leave me alone... Just like a toddler who needs to touch you all the time... If I am sitting he must be on my lap... If I am sitting with him on my lap, well out would be better if I was lying down and him snuggled on top... If he is on top of then I should take a nap with him... Ok, so that isn't too bad... Carry on baby Milo, carry on!!

My deck was in bad shape... very bad shape. I had the choice of starting on the stuff for the deck and enjoying it a bit this summer or redoing the deck boarding and skirting first and probably not getting any enjoyment until 2012. So, I did the stuff first.

I don't really have a before picture for my deck. It was just a big brown area with nothing on it. Now though.... now its brilliant!!

I have to admit, everything that was done, was done on a budget. :D

Except for this :D This was the biggest expense of the whole thing. But as I received $250 for my birthday the expense of this wasn't bad. It was a Walmart purchase. The cost $189.00

These chairs were my first purchase. They were $5.50 for the pair at Goodwill. I will admit they looked about $5.50 worth at the time. But 2 cans of Krylon Textured Shimmer in Hammered Metal later, and now they look like a million bucks... or at least $15.00 each :D The pillow were also a Goodwill purchase at $1.00 each, then covered with a $1.00 flannel back outdoor tablecloth. The table between was a $3 handmade planter from Habitat for Humanity, which i simply turned upside down and Gorilla Glued on a platter which I purchased at Goodwill for 50 cents. The platter I painted with my left over spray paint to match the chairs.

Next came my $25.00 firepit from Craig's List. It is a mosaic tiled firepit which weighs more than I. It has a black mesh topper for when you wish to use the fire, or this tiled top for when you'd like to use as a table.

Also directly behind the firepit are two pallet seating areas. They are made from 2 pallets each, strapped together, then covered with a piece of particle board for the top, and treated lumber sides. I painted both out with Krylon outdoor paint (LOVELY STUFF). I got the idea for the pallet seating here, but took off in my own direction a bit.

Here is another picture which captures the pallet bottoms better. I didn't do any fancy mitering on the boards (cause I do not have the tools to do it!) but I like the look nonetheless.

I bought 2 crib mattresses (who knew they were the exact length of a pallet??)and 2 canvas drop clothes to make padded seating for my pallets. The mattresses were $10 and $15 off Craigs List and the drop cloths $9 each at Walmart. I simply mitered the corners (here I DID have the tools) and added a bit of cording to make it look better.

I also did the monogram painting... For some reason I am into monogramming things! Only one side is monogrammed, so if I do become tired, I can just turn them over!!

Also on the pallets, as the width of the mattress and the width of the pallets are different by 6 inches, I added brown planter boxes filled with marigolds. There is also some space left at the end of each of the planter boxes for another project later, you know, when I have extra cash again!!

If you look straight back you'll see two pretty wooden shutters I picked up for $1 each at Habitat for Humanity. I spray painted them a pretty blue for some color. Why did I put them up? Here is your reason....

For the most part, you won't see the ugly mess needed for cable, phone and electricity... :) this makes me happy!

This is a little something I made to add another pop of color to the deck. :) I had everything to make this, except for the monogram which I picked up at Michael's for $1.00

So all in all I spent my $250 plus about $100 for the whole deck area... You know, paint, some rocks, lighting, etc. Not too shabby I believe! :)

Now all that is left is to redo the skirting all the way around, power wash (which hopefully removes that paint that some bonehead got on the deck before us) and restain/protect the deck this fall! :P

Back in May I (finally) started working on the outside of my house. Its been a long time coming, and to be honest, not my favorite sort of DIY to do. Working outside is just fraught with hazards for me as I prove over and over again how I lack grace in yard projects and maintenance. But I warriored through and now I shall share during the next couple days what I have slowly been putting together and fixing. :)

I still have more to do, but with a 10 day vacation in Florida coming up, I have had to curtail my spending in favor of more pleasurable things!!

A few weeks ago I found this lovely thing next to the trash. I know, right? It has great bones, just needed some love... Ok, LOTS of love.

But look at how it turned out!! :D

I found the pillows at Goodwill... total of $2. :) They are not water proof, but I am always cautious to put them out only during days that bad weather isn't in the forecast. But honestly, at $2 I can afford to let them be thrown away and purchase more. But ultimately I love the colors as they go well with my shutters, and I am a super cheapskate, so I am conscious of the weather so I don't have to spend more on new pillows!!

I still have many plans for the front area, but as I said funds are at a minimum. So until August, this is how my front area will stay. Although for a total of $2 for pillows, as I had the stain, black spray paint and the sanding materials on hand already, this was a VERY inexpensive addition to my house. Now perhaps another neighbor has a bird bath? wooden shutters? trellis? Just stick it in my yard so I don't have to go through your trash if you'd like!!